Forum Test - ... wxcvbn ... (also search engine test)

Search engine test: First line in body text. Second line of french keyboard … qsdfghjklm …  (added 21:10, 13 01 18). Also Author credit added same time (my full name)

Sub-title not searchable / Author not searchable  / Body searchable / Title searchable (tested 20/01/18)

Revised author area By … wsexdr … on 20/01/18 (typed text in panel above). Modified order in sub-title putting search string nearer front.

Added at 20:20 20/01/18 this string … aqwzsx  Searchwas  immediately successful, hence no latency in results – probably no indexing done for site search engine.

This post is a technical test of various methods of migrating the old Laindon forum messages to this new site. It is done with Rochford material but the principles applied to Laindon will give identical results.

Latest modifications made to this file … Bob Stephen on 20-01-2018

12th January 2018   :  12/01/18  :  12 01 18  :  12 Jan 18   …. test of other date formats for the search engine (the date separator / will not work so have to find something else).

If you only want to look at the conversion results just use the following links:

Method1 / Method2 / Method3 / Method4 / Method5 / Method6

Copies of these links are provided with each of the options to allow you to jump back and forth between them.

METHOD1: copy/paste method

METHOD2: csv as table

METHOD3: csv as text

METHOD4: modified csv as table

METHOD5: modified csv as text

METHOD6: modified csv as table-v2 (this method needs to be tested with the new WordPress software to confirm if it will work or not)

If you have not read this page before in detail please skip the next supplement section and go directly to DEVELOPMENT NOTES. Please read the supplements last.

********start of supplement 1*********

 Please start reading from the start of the next section if you are new to the page:

Add a message to this board

This link might be a way of extending this page to be a new message board – all old forum messages would be concentrated at the top and new ones could be added to the page at the bottom in the comments section.

Other options would be to have an old forum message page and a new forum message page. There might be other options like using pdf files.

The main purpose of this page is, however, to show how we could move old forum messages so they would still be available somewhere on a new WordPress site.

***********end of supplement 1*********

***********start supplement 2***********

Searching text in the forums is problematic. An external Google search will find text and show its context. However a site search is much less revealing and only shows the article first line or two. This is useless in a long article. Solution may be to break up the article (forum) into several parts, maybe arranged by date. Say 20 or so would suffice.

Another problem is that xx/yy/zzzz date searching is prohibited in the on site search. The / causes the problem. Solution here is to condition the text in a spreadsheet before dumping it on the site to get dates into a format such as 10 jan 2018 for 10/01/2018. The search engine will recognise these.

***********end supplement 2************

***********start supplement 3************

Reformatting this text to footnote format is awkward. The formatting automatically starts as paragraph. Have to highlight text and then click Formats tab (see above in tool bar) and then  click “Footnote” twice to get the footnote formatting to work.

***********end supplement 3************

DEVELOPMENT NOTES: This work has been done on behalf of SEECAN to aid those archives moving to WordPress based software in late 2017. A number of methods of moving messages from the forum pages on this site to a new page on this site are examined. The general principle is that one of these methods may be used on other SEECAN sites before conversion to WordPress – the forum messages would then be preserved on a page on the new WordPress site. How the forum dialogue might then be continued is another issue – by adding comment to the new forum page, by the use of Facebook, etc etc?

The transfer of forum messages is not a trivial task, especially for Laindon who have 739 forum posts (Billericay has 73 and Rochford 79). This work is done to try to find some acceptable way of moving messages in a labour saving way:

UPDATE NOTE 17/01/18:  Found that Laindon now has 176 forum posts (97+79) , Rochford has 26 (1+25) and Billericay has 0. Rochford and BIllericay had taken off their posts before this happened. I wll now take off the residual Laindon posts. (Presumably this is something to do with a post maintenance utility killing old ones … might investigate later … important thing now is to get off what remains). First had a look at my archive stuff – I found I had taken off all forums from all 3 sites just before they were frozen, hence all is OK.

Note: The links below go directly to the examples. All examples are from Rochford but there are no technical differences between archives in the way the forums work or are laid out.

We first deal with a copy/paste method, then the direct use of the csv export file, csv as table and csv as text and finally a hybrid method using the csv file as a starting point ending in a modified csv file as table and a modified csv file as text. Finally there is a later addition of modified csv file as table-v2 (v2 is experimental and cannot be guaranteed to work until the WordPress software is available for inspection). The first method is labour intensive but creates a faithful copy of the original. The other two methods are much quicker but suffer a little in terms of fidelity. Manpower estimates are given immediately below for the copy/paste method. The other methods are much less labour intensive following this investigative work – maybe an hour altogether for all affected archives, except that METHOD5 might take 2 hours.

Conclusions: In edit mode the table versions look quite good but when published they lose their tabular look. I tried to edit both of them to include black border but failed (but then managed something a bit tentative which might work on the new software). I also had problems with the alignment of columns 1 to 5 that I couldn’t fix (details elsewhere on page). My inclination is to go for Method5 which looks clean and simple and fits the screen nicely.

METHOD1: COPY/PASTE

Two computer windows are opened, this one in edit mode and another showing the forum page in view mode. Entries are copied from the forum page and then pasted to this page. This is a slow business, but it is a straightforward matter – simply a question of going methodically down the list of posts and any responses to them. The 10 entries below took 10 minutes. Everything was already setup to go – so the Laindon conversion done this way would take about 12 hours for its 739 entries. Add to this an opening up and close down for each data entry “shift”, say 2 hour shifts with a 20 minute overhead, so something like 14 hours in total for Laindon).

One advantage of the copy/paste method is that all information will be copied, including all formatting and any special text such as hyperlinks. This is not the case with the csv file exported from the site software. It has had all formatting stripped from it apart from some control characters.

I imagine that if the forum messages have merely a sprinkling of formatting and hyperlinks then these could be dealt with as a supplementary manual task. However if there is a lot of formatting then it might be best to “bite-the-bullet”.

METHODS 2 & 3: CSV file

The CSV export file was used – in System Settings under Export select Forum Messages. The order seems to be earliest first. This can be probably be adjusted by sorting the CSV before dumping it in this page. It might be that the earliest first is OK but I haven’t yet gone through an entire export logic and checked it out. The CSV file was adjusted in a spreadsheet to have each message on one line and without any column breaks. I used Open Office and had to select the correct setting to make this happen – initially the spreadsheet had about 50 columns with the text spread between them. It came in as a table and this is presented first. Then immediately after this table is the full csv text (obtained by disabling the table header from another identical import made visible using HTML view).

The table seems acceptable. Of note are some character substitutions which need reversal and extra quotation marks and asterisks throughout which need to be removed. METHOD4 deals with these faults.

The text version is poor. It is OK in some areas but practically unreadable in others. METHOD5 deals with these faults.

METHOD1: copy/paste

Method1 / Method2 / Method3 / Method4 / Method5 / Method6

The river Crouch at Hullbridge

By Sue Horncastle on 04/04/2011 at 12:17

The Romans built a causeway across the river at Hullbridge and you can still see the remain of the piles which would have had bundles of sticks piled between them to create a solid crossing. “Bridge” in this context means a crossing rather than a physical bridge. In the late 1960s it was still possible to cross the river on foot at low tide and my children did so on more than one occasion. My brother, as a young man, even drove his van across once. In the summer the river was often so low that my son was able to catch a flounder in his hands!

The ferry at that time was a dingy rowed over to the north bank by a man who lived in a houseboat moored just east of the Anchor pub. There was a footpath that ran all the way along the riverbank to Battlesbridge which we used to collect flour for bread making from the mill which existed then on the Rawreth side where the garden centre is now.

Hullbridge ferry, 1960’s.

By Richard Dobson on 30/07/2011 at 10:17

I believe the ferry-man mentioned in the story about the river crouch, was Jock, who I remember fairly well from that time…..myself and friends also ran the ferry,at wekends, for a while.

High House Hawkwell

By Pam Gooch on 04/09/2011 at 11:14

Has anyone got a photo I could take a copy from, of High House that stood on the corner of Rectory Road and Ironwell Lane? It was demolished in 1960 and once belonged to my husbands Grandfather Jennings who used to run a Nursery on the site.

METHOD2: unmodified csv table

Method1 / Method2 / Method3 / Method4 / Method5 / Method6

METHOD3: unmodified CSV file

Method1 / Method2 / Method3 / Method4 / Method5 / Method6

idid_forumforum_titleid_threadid_parentauthorauthor_emailsubjectmessagedate_addedid_authorauthor1is_published_yesnoip_address81General board70Sue Horncastles.horncastle@free.frThe river Crouch at HullbridgeThe Romans built a causeway across the river at Hullbridge and you can still see the remain of the piles which would have had bundles of sticks piled between them to create a solid crossing. “Bridge” in this context means a crossing rather than a physical bridge. In the late 1960s it was still possible to cross the river on foot at low tide and my children did so on more than one occasion. My brother, as a young man, even drove his van across once. In the summer the river was often so low that my son was able to catch a flounder in his hands! ***

***The ferry at that time was a dingy rowed over to the north bank by a man who lived in a houseboat moored just east of the Anchor pub. There was a footpath that ran all the way along the riverbank to Battlesbridge which we used to collect flour for bread making from the mill which existed then on the Rawreth side where the garden centre is now.04/04/20110Sue Horncastleno$ipaddress91General board80Richard Dobsona.ingle@btinternet.comHullbridge ferry, 1960’s.I believe the ferry-man mentioned in the story about the river crouch, was Jock, who I remember fairly well from that time…..myself and friends also ran the ferry,at wekends, for a while.30/07/201116Richard Dobsonno$ipaddress101General board90Pam Goochpameladenise.gooch@mypostoffice.co.ukHigh House HawkwellHas anyone got a photo I could take a copy from, of High House that stood on the corner of Rectory Road and Ironwell Lane? It was demolished in 1960 and once belonged to my husbands Grandfather Jennings who used to run a Nursery on the site.04/09/201118Pam Goochno$ipaddress201General board910Helen BarnardbarnardH@aol.comRe: High House HawkwellDear Pam,***

******

***I shall have a look amongst our photo collection and get back to you.***

******

***Best wishes,***

******

***Helen26/09/20114Helen Barnardno$ipaddress211General board910Len Bickfordoldsxman@aol.comRe: High House HawkwellHi Pam,***

***I don’t have any photographs i’m afraid, but i did work for who must have been your husbands grandfather – Mr Jennings at the nursery when i was a teenager back in the early 1960’s.I worked for him for nearly 2yrs.***

***Good luck in finding a photo though.***

***regards***

***Len12/10/20110Len Bickfordno$ipaddress221General board910Len Bickfordoldsxman@aol.comRe: High House HawkwellHi Pam,***

***I did write a reply a few days ago but it looks like its not got through.***

***Just to let you know that i worked for Mr Jennings at his nursery back in the mid 1960’s. I was there for almost 2yrs. He did offer me a job there when i left school but he couldn’t take me on full time so i had to go elsewhere.As i remember, he was a bit on the gruff side but once you showed him you wasn’t scared of a bit of hard work, he was ok with you from then on.***

***Sorry i don’t have any pictures, just a few distant memories. Hope you manage to find some pics.***

***good luck.***

***Len b17/10/201112Len Bickfordno$ipaddress291General board920Helenpameladenise.gooch@mypostoffice.co.ukRe: High House HawkwellSorry for being so long in answering. Have you had any luck in finding a photo Helen? I am still trying to locate one.27/03/20120Helenno$ipaddress301General board922Lenpameladenise.gooch@mypostoffice.co.ukRe: High House HawkwellSorry it’s taken so long in answering. I haven’t had any luck with any photos, but it was great to hear that you knew Eric’s grandfather.27/03/20120Lenno$ipaddress311General board929Helen BarnardbarnardH@aol.comRe: High House HawkwellSorry, Pam, nothing has come up yet. Helen28/03/20124Helen Barnardno$ipaddress431General board930Patriciapuppyalert@btinternet.comRe: High House HawkwellThe Jennings, Sonny and Florrie ran Vega Nurseries in the 60’s Sonny Jennings father ran the nursery before him and lived in the house opposite the entrance to the nursery in Rectory Road, if that is the house that you are referring to it still stands there. However, it is numbered now although it may have had a name before numbering of properties in Rectory Road. if this is the house you mean I can photograph it for you.02/04/20140Patriciano$ipaddress441General board943Pampameladenise.gooch@mypostoffice.co.ukRe: High House HawkwellThank you for offering to take a photo of the cottage which was owned by my Husbands Grandfather (Abraham Jenninings ) and inherited by his son. High House was a wooden building next to the cottage and was demolished in the 60’s to make way for the present building. My husband did do a painting from memory so many thanks for everyones help.01/05/20140Pamno$ipaddress111General board100Keith Nocknockers01@hotmail.co.uknock familyhi i wonder if anyone remembers the nock family from rawreth they lived in goose cottages09/09/201120Keith Nockno$ipaddress331General board110Peter Brownspitsortiesites@yahoo.co.ukThe BroomstickDoes the village ‘magazine’ The Broomstick still exist? I have heard that it was a journal created by local people for local people, but can’t find out much about it.***

METHODS 4 & 5:

The csv file was first loaded into Open Office. Then all extraneous characters were corrected by Search/Replace. Column rationalisation was carried out: by moving columns around and also by adding a couple of new columns and deleting others. Note that the author email information was deleted. I thought this was best – but it could be made available and in any case it is in the csv file. In METHOD4 the file was then exported here using copy/paste. In METHOD5 the file was first exported to Notepad++ where extraneous tabs and multiple spaces were corrected and linefeeds added to separate entries as appropriate (done using year information at end of each post, which requires about 6 search/replace operations for any file size).  After this work in Notepad++ the results were exported here as METHOD5.

Note: Time stamp can be added if necessary (at xx:xxhr) but this would need to be done before the date stamp to facilitate search/replace.

METHOD4 probably preferred by me if a tabular presentation is liked best and METHOD5 would be my preference if a text layout is liked best. But METHOD4 cells 1to5 are centre/centre aligned and should be centre/high. I tried to fix this. Problem with METHOD4 is that the site table editor strips out cell formatting so that I cannot get the final table cells to align properly even if they look OK in a reformatted Open Office sheet. I thought this could probably be done with a $rawcontent entry but tried $rawcontent and it doesn’t work, all table formatting is stripped out. So METHOD4 is as it is – take it or leave it. It really doesn’t look good enough with the misaligned early columns.

***************

METHOD4: modified csv file as table

Method1 / Method2 / Method3 / Method4 / Method5 / Method6

***************

Note on METHOD5: The conversion is a bit bland but fits the screen well. There is very little formatting as this facilitates the conversion. It means that nothing needs to be done after conversion but more could be done manually like this boldening – however there are over 700 entries for Laindon and over 70 for Billericay. METHOD4 can hold more formatting and would be my second choice particularly if first group of columns are aligned with message text (for this set of tests they are centered in the cells which doesn’t work well and as explained elsewhere I cannot get them top aligned).

More technical notes on 4 & 5 are immediately above the start of METHOD4 – what was done in the spreadsheets to get the results (in general terms).

METHOD5: modified csv file as text

Method1 / Method2 / Method3 / Method4 / Method5 / Method6

The river Crouch at Hullbridge by Sue Horncastle added 04/04/2011

The Romans built a causeway across the river at Hullbridge and you can still see the remain of the piles which would have had bundles of sticks piled between them to create a solid crossing. “Bridge” in this context means a crossing rather than a physical bridge. In the late 1960s it was still possible to cross the river on foot at low tide and my children did so on more than one occasion. My brother, as a young man, even drove his van across once. In the summer the river was often so low that my son was able to catch a flounder in his hands! The ferry at that time was a dingy rowed over to the north bank by a man who lived in a houseboat moored just east of the Anchor pub. There was a footpath that ran all the way along the riverbank to Battlesbridge which we used to collect flour for bread making from the mill which existed then on the Rawreth side where the garden centre is now.

Hullbridge ferry, 1960’s. by Richard Dobson added 30/07/2011

I believe the ferry-man mentioned in the story about the river crouch, was Jock, who I remember fairly well from that time…..myself and friends also ran the ferry,at wekends, for a while.

High House Hawkwell by Pam Gooch added 04/09/2011

Has anyone got a photo I could take a copy from, of High House that stood on the corner of Rectory Road and Ironwell Lane? It was demolished in 1960 and once belonged to my husbands Grandfather Jennings who used to run a Nursery on the site.

Re: High House Hawkwell by Helen Barnard added 26/09/2011

Dear Pam, I shall have a look amongst our photo collection and get back to you. Best wishes, Helen

Re: High House Hawkwell by Len Bickford added 12/10/2011

Hi Pam, I don’t have any photographs i’m afraid, but i did work for who must have been your husbands grandfather – Mr Jennings at the nursery when i was a teenager back in the early 1960’s.I worked for him for nearly 2yrs. Good luck in finding a photo though. regards Len

Re: High House Hawkwell by Len Bickford added 17/10/2011

Hi Pam, I did write a reply a few days ago but it looks like its not got through. Just to let you know that i worked for Mr Jennings at his nursery back in the mid 1960’s. I was there for almost 2yrs. He did offer me a job there when i left school but he couldn’t take me on full time so i had to go elsewhere.As i remember, he was a bit on the gruff side but once you showed him you wasn’t scared of a bit of hard work, he was ok with you from then on. Sorry i don’t have any pictures, just a few distant memories. Hope you manage to find some pics. good luck. Len b

Re: High House Hawkwell by Helen added 27/03/2012

Sorry for being so long in answering. Have you had any luck in finding a photo Helen? I am still trying to locate one.

Re: High House Hawkwell by Len added 27/03/2012

Sorry it’s taken so long in answering. I haven’t had any luck with any photos, but it was great to hear that you knew Eric’s grandfather.

Re: High House Hawkwell by Helen Barnard added 28/03/2012

Sorry, Pam, nothing has come up yet. Helen

***************

A RETEST OF METHOD4 WAS CARRIED OUT TO TRY TO CORRECT CELL ALIGNMENTS – THIS CANNOT BE MADE TO WORK

HOWEVER THE TABLE BORDER CAN BE MADE TO APPEAR BY EDITING THE TABLE HEADER IN HTML VIEW – SETTING BORDER WIDTH HERE FROM 0 TO 2.

THIS CLARIFIES THE SITUATION FOR THE READER COMPARED TO THE MUDDLE OF METHOD4 WHERE THE MESSAGE CONTENT CAN EASILY SEEM DETACHED FROM THE AUTHOR

THIS METHOD CANNOT BE GUARANTEED TO WORK UNTIL THE NEW WORDPRESS SOFTWARE IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION

METHOD6 – modified csv file as table-v2

Method1 / Method2 / Method3 / Method4 / Method5 / Method6

v2 ****** extract added by Bob Stephen on 23 March 2018 (at 18:40) as a test bed for the full conversion. Results better than v1 which follows, odd characters have been replaced and line feeds have been inserted in two places to isolate each post. Slight problem is that imported text from Notepad++ had had extraneous spaces removed (all multiple spaces are reduced to one space by the WordPress importer )*******

PS … 1. Test paste using Text view instead of Visual view on a paragraph. Its possible that extra spaces will be retained – however this is a “no go”, it produces the same behaviour.

PS… 2. Test search using this string ended by the brackets … (all multiple spaces are reduced to one space by the WordPress importer ) … Search test failed at 11:30 on 24 March. Comparable test on text at top of this page succeeded.

PS… 3. A repeat search attempt in this part of text again fails 16:00 on 26 March. Text search higher up still OK (top and about 1/3 way down file – note must use new text and not just repeats of forum posts). Need to find out how long indexing takes. First look at situation on latest articles and comments and then post results back here. Then if time is not a factor then bulk of text may be the other determinant.  ……. longest delay in indexing looks like about 5 days, from examining latest posts including comments. Hence need to wait until evening of 28th until 5 days are up for the text posted on 23rd at 18:40. Post results here on 28th or morning of 29th.

extract added by Bob Stephen on 23 March 2018 (at 18:40) as a test bed for the full conversion  …. this extract taken from para above is being used a s a search term:

search failed at 12:12 on 27/03/18 / and again at 04:30 on 28th March 2018 … cache then cleared at top of page – no effect /  28th March 21:45 again failure /  tried again and success 28th March 21:50 / 

Do you remember? : Laindon Woods Beautification by Georgia Laurie added 11/09/2012
When I was about 6 or 7 (1976/77) I remember we did volunteer work to turn parts of Laindon woods into picnic areas…mainly the two big enclosures up the top of the hill from the path leading from the Handley Green railway crossing. Anyway I remember we found a wartime aircraft in one of the enclosures, seem to remember it was a spitfire and no one had any clue it was there….anyone know more details?

Do you remember? : Detached railway track west of Laindon station by Robin Webster added 12/06/2017
On old 6″ and 25″ maps there is shown a detached piece of track S on the line and mostly W of the old foot crossing you have discussed elsewhere. There is a kink in the railway boundary fence suggestive of a gate through which a curving railway track might have passed. There are buildings set at an angle in the otherwise vacant plot W of the southern approach ramp to the railway bridge, suggestive that a railway siding might have come alongside them. These features were not there prior to WWI, were shortly after, and had gone by the time the station layout was altered in 1933. The track and the fencing kink may just be made out in the photo from the bridge illustrating your foot crossing discussion. Any suggestions?

Do you remember? : Rector of Laindon in the 19th century? by Margaret Mills added 24/06/2017
I wonder if anyone knows anything about a man named Reginald Porter, who was apparently a clergyman (ordained sometime in 1850 or thereabouts) and who subsequently became a Rector in Laindon? This man is said to have gone to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, in order to nurse injured troops on both sides. Any information would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Do you remember? : Re: Rector of Laindon in the 19th century? by Nina Humphrey(née Burton) added 26/06/2017
Initial enquiries and searches have failed to trace this person. Any additional details or information would be very helpful.

Do you remember? : Re: Rector of Laindon in the 19th century? by Margaret Mills added 28/06/2017
Nina, so sorry, but this is all I have about this man. If anyone knows anything else, I’d be grateful.

Do you remember? : Shakespeare Avenue by Aaron added 20/09/2017
Hi Everyone,. Im currently tracing some photographic history of Shakespeare Avenue in Langdon Hills and am reaching out to anyone who could help.. Thanks in advance.. Aaron

Do you know this person? : Re: Stevie Brady or Relatives by John Bathurst added 28/09/2011
The 1949 register has only two entries using the Brady surname: John Brady at “The Crest”, Basildon Rise, Laindon and Leonard Brady as “Hillbrow”, Dovercourts Avenue, Laindon.

Do you know this person? : Stevie Brady or Relatives by Dawn Knox added 14/09/2011
In 1940 my father, Edward Kentish and his twin brother Alf used to cycle from Stepney, London to Leigh on Sea on Saturday afternoons with other lads, including Stevie Brady, who had relatives in Laindon. The lads all used to stop at the relatives’ bungalow in Laindon for a break, on the outward and return trips. Stevie Brady had a brother who owned a barber’s shop in Hannibal Road, Stepney. Does anyone know of Stevie or his Laindon relatives? Thanks.

Do you know this person? : Re: Stevie Brady or Relatives by Keith Nock added 14/09/2011
Hi Dawn I am sure my uncle George used to speak about Steve Brady who lived up Basildon Rise off Church Rd

Do you know this person? : Samuel Cooper by Steve Cooper added 14/09/2011
My paternal grandad was Samuel Cooper who live in Laindon and any news of him and his family (good or bad) would be appreciated. My most vivid recollection of Laindon is rushing to make the last train back to Dagenham after seeing Lynn but any reminiscences about anyone knowing any of our families would be very interesting to read.

Do you know this person? : Re: Samuel Cooper by Gloria Sewell added 14/09/2011
I recall as a child old aunty Vera Turner (who always sucked a Trebor Extra strong mint for her indigestion), your mum in laws mum, going to see someone who lived over a shop in the High Road, maybe this was your grandad. The shop was a greengrocers next door was a butchers and then in the same block was Clarks wool and drapery + bicycle shop this was before you got to the Laindon Hotel coming from the station.

v1 ****** extract added by Bob Stephen on 23 March 2018 (mid afternoon) as a test bed for the full conversion results. Results not too good, needs more character replacemernt and line formatting *******

LAINDON LINE 01
forum_title subject author date_added message
Do you remember? : A Walk Through Laindon by Emma Thomas added 23/03/2011 I have just got back from Ken Porter’s A Walk Through Laindon talk at the library and would just like to say how great it was. I’m only 27 (pretty sure I was the youngest there by a good few years lol) but I find old Laindon fasinating, my family first moved to The Chase in Langdon Hills in the early 1900’s and I’ve grown up hearing many interesting stories. I will be asking them to dig out there old photo’s and memory’s for this site and for Ken’s new book on the POW camp :o) Would recomend his talk to all so make sure to go along next year everyone!***<br /><br />******<br /><br />***Emma

Do you remember? : Blue House farm by Dave/Eve Wilkins added 26/03/2011 We have just registered with this site,as local history is of some interest to us and we was wondering if there was any photos of blue house farm as my wife remembers it when she was very young, she must have been about 5 or 6 yrs old and was trying to tell me how scary the old farm was. So if anyone has any pics of the old farm we would love to see them, thanks
Do you remember? : Re: blue house farm by Brian Baylis added 03/04/2011 I don’t have any photo’s, but do memories of walking through the farm to school every day, even to being chased through mud, by some pigs and losing a shoe. Yuk! I can remember a certain amount about the layout, but whether I could put it on paper or not, is another matter.***<br /><br />******<br /><br />***I can remember when my brother, the lad next door and I tried ‘fishing’ in the pond there for sticklebats and the farmer told us to “Clear off!” and we Ran for it.
Do you remember? : Re: blue house farm by Dave/Eve Wilkins added 07/04/2011 well that all rings true with my wife, “clear off” was one thing, but she remembers a gun being wedged up in the window to scare kids off, well that worked, until next time.
Do you remember? : Re: blue house farm by Dave/Eve Wilkins added 16/04/2011 In the same area along Markams Chase, it seems there was an old tin “shed” which was used as a shop, does anyone remember this, or is there any pictures,
Do you remember? : Re: Blue House farm by Dave/Eve Wilkins added 05/06/2011 Well thanks to John for the very in depth answer,the shop in question was there when a friend of mine moved in the top of Belstedes,Markhams chase end,as the end i now live in was yet built,so that may help date wise,it would have been the great knightlys end,but he does describe it as “a tin shed”,but as he was a school boy of about 8,maybe his memories arnt quite right,.***<br /><br />***As you have explained how Markhams Chase got its name,ie they used to own Blue house farm,they must have been the ones who put a gun in the window of the farm to freighten of the kids,as my wife remembers this part but not the shop,,and the information you gave John is very interesting,and full of historical facts.
Do you remember? : Re: Blue House farm by John Bathurst added 26/05/2011 Any attempt to answer Dave and Eve Wilkin’s enquiry of 16th April 2011 concerning an â€old tin ‘shed’ being used as a shopâ€ contains difficulties without a somewhat detailed explanation. Firstly it not absolutely certain that “oldâ€ tin shed did not at some time become a shop except that all the shops in Markhams Chase were anything but made of tin.***<br /><br />******<br /><br />***Markhams Chase is difficult for a start. The practice of naming roads in rural areas like Laindon or Lee Chapel is a modern one. In the past they were usually referred to as “waysâ€, either being spoken of as â€the way toâ€ or “the way fromâ€. The road now known as Markhams Chase was, in fact, earlier known as “the way to Corringhamâ€ or “the way to Willow Parkâ€. This is the manner in which it is referred to on the map of Laindon Hall Farm in or about 1700. Like many such tracks of a rural nature it was never more than what we would now call a bridle way since traffic making use of it would be either humans on foot, cattle or horses on the hoof, or the occasional farm vehicle. Un-surfaced and probably virtually unusable in bad weather it would be a Green Lane of which there are countless numbers throughout the UK, and, because of that, where the name “Green Laneâ€ appears in fully urbanised areas, there is a clue to what it was that once existed. ***<br /><br />******<br /><br />***The name Markham Chase arose from the fact that Blue House farm was in the hands of the Markham family for some time at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. The Essex Education Committee, needing to extend school places in the Laindon area, acquired from Charles Markham, last of the line farming at Blue House, a field (shown as field No. 11 on the map schedule) to construct a new Junior School. The site actually lay in Lee Chapel, east of the Green Lane and, in order for building work to commence, it was necessary to provide a hard surface to the track from its junction with St Nicholas Lane and Church Hill, both of which roads having already been provided with such hard surfaces.***<br /><br />******<br /><br />***In deference to the former owners of the new building site, this newly constructed section of road was renamed as Markhams Chase. The remaining section of the original road remained, and subsequently was shown on street maps as “Green Laneâ€, Until this part of the original road was eventually obliterated by the development of the New Town Development Corporation’s Lee Chapel North estate no greater improvement other than that of providing an asphalt covered footpath along its length as far as its junction with Northumberland Avenue.***<br /><br />******<br /><br />***(It is worth noting here that, in their usual Cavalier manner the Commission – or whatever one of the several names they were employing at that time- may. in destroying this old track or thoroughfare, have been also destroying centuries of history. It has long been thought that this was a path trod by many a pilgrim en route to Canterbury. A straight, or moderately straight, line can be drawn from Billericay via Great Burstead through Green Lane, Laindon. and on via The Bridleway and One Tree Hill to Corringham, a line that approximates to known existing, or previously existing, “rights of wayâ€. The Medieval citizens of Corringham were known to have had grazing rights on both sides of the Thames, so would have had the means of ferrying their cattle and others across that otherwise formidable barrier to progress.)***<br /><br />******<br /><br />***By the time the new school (“Markhams Chase County Junior and Infantsâ€) was constructed and taking in pupils in 1933 there were two specially constructed shops in the new Markhams Chase with a third opening fairly quickly afterwards. The first two lock up shops were built on the east side of the road just to the north of the school. Semi detached, they were a speculative gesture and one of them (that closest to the school) was never operated as a business and was eventually demolished with its partner still unused when both were acquired by the Basildon Development Corporation.***<br /><br />******<br /><br />***The second of the pair was taken up by Alfred Whife and his wife, Ada, and used to replace the milk bottling and delivery depot they had been operating at Blue House Farm for its proprietor William Thomas Warrilow. At the same time as this move took place, Mr. and Mrs. Whife also moved into a newly constructed bungalow (“Hazeldeneâ€) almost opposite in Markhams Chase. They remained in business until both shops were compulsorily purchased for demolition at which time they had adapted an area immediately adjacent to their home to continue in business. By the time of this last move, such it was that new regulations concerning the handling and supply of milk introduced towards the end of WW2 meant that the business had declined to delivery only, a practice that was to be continued after their retirement by their eldest son, Raymond, until his early death. ***<br /><br />******<br /><br />***The third shop in Markhams Chase (and this is probably what is in mind in the question) was a very small grocery and confectionary business opposite the school on the west side, immediately to the north of the end of drive running between Blue House Farm and Markhams Chase. This shop, opened by Frederick and Freda Lawrence, was set up by them by converting their very small living accommodation (it was a four roomed cottage known as “The Lodgeâ€) that had initially been constructed to accommodate a farm worker’s family. Judging by its appearance it had, like the house at the farm itself, probably been constructed in the traditional Essex style manner as a lightweight timber clad building with a slate covered roof. Although the outside appearance was of a rendered stucco finish, this was probably a later addition. The front façade with its centrally situated door had small windows on each side. ***<br /><br />******<br /><br />***The interior of the shop accommodation, as remembered, consisted of a small counter across the back of the room with a small glass fronted display case at right angles that contained a choice of cheap confectionary designed to catch the attention of children. There was very little actual room for the proprietors behind the counter. A door at the left behind the counter gave access to the building’s living accommodation and what might have been a large cupboard or a very small bedroom was at right angles to the counter on the opposite side.***<br /><br />******<br /><br />***The trade done in the shop was almost exclusively based on the supply of confectionary to the pupils of Markhams Chase School who spent their money mostly in pennies, half pennies and even farthings. There was very little trade derived from the adults of the area, chiefly because of the shops location, such residential development as there was was concentrated either to the east of the school or to the northern end of Markhams Chase or the southern end of Green Lane. There might be a little trade from the mothers waiting at the School in the afternoons of school days but in the main this was very limited. One of the two Lawrence’s daughters informed me, years after the building had been demolished, that their parents dreaded the long school holidays because the falling off of trade so often bought the family close to bankruptcy.***<br /><br />******<br /><br />***There was yet another shop in Green Lane to the south of Lawrence’s “Tuck Shopâ€. This was known as the “Halfway Shopâ€ and was, in addition to being a provision shop, a sub-post office. Situated at the eastern end of Buckingham Road this shop was in easy reach of a number of roads in Lee Chapel which was probably a contributing factor towards the lack of general custom at the Lawrence’s shop to the north. “Halfwayâ€ was not an easy shop to keep supplied. Delivery vans could get no closer than the Northumberland Avenue junction with Green Lane and goods were regularly conveyed from there by barrow. ***<br /><br />******<br /><br />***Yet a further shop was available to the population of Lee Chapel, which, by the 1930s and 1940s, had grown considerably thus fully justifying the opening of Markhams Chase School on its chosen site. This was at the eastern end of Northumberland Avenue where Green Lane crossed the railway at an occupation crossing protected by un-manned gates. This shop was known as “Barkers Storeâ€, a fact that gave the popular name “Barkers Crossingâ€ to the railway level crossing. The population on the Primrose Hill estate south of the railway kept the wicket gates provided for those on foot busy and, to avoid them being left in the open position, each gate was weighted by a baulk og timber suspended from a chain to ensure that the gate closed with a resounding smack.
Do you remember? : Re: Blue House farm by Brian Baylis added 06/01/2013 The owners of Barkers Store, I met up with some years ago, in a pub in Norfolk, and by pure chance. They were in Salvation Army uniforms, and selling War Cry.***<br /><br />******<br /><br />***I had attended a wedding at Laindon in the 1950’s, so asked if there was any chance they could trace the same couple for me, when I discovered they had owned the shop.

Do you remember? : Elizabeth Drive by Jeff Footer added 07/05/2011 Hi, I’m a Laindon boy born and breed. I now live the other side of the world have done now for some 40 odd years. Looking at this site it brings back some great memories, the shops the people and the surrounding areas. I have’nt seen anything on Elizabeth Drive thats where I was born, in a little house called Kenwood. So if anybodys got photos of the Drive or the people please post. We lived just up from Ebenezer Hall. I along with a lot of other people don’t understand why they killed a little town like Laindon. I look forward to some photos of the Drive and the people that lived down there.
Do you remember? : Re: Elizabeth Drive by Emma Thomas added 28/05/2011 Hi Jeff. I’m helping out with the archive and am currently typing up someones memories, they mention Elizabeth Drive, I’ve also found these pages that mention Elizabeth drive for you, hope the articals bring back some great memories!. http://www.laindonhistory.org.uk/page_id__70_path__0p6p18p52p.aspx ***<br /><br />***(the paragraph under the second photo). http://www.laindonhistory.org.uk/page_id__11_path__.aspx ***<br /><br />***(second paragraph). ***<br /><br />***http://www.laindonhistory.org.uk/page_id__22_path__0p6p54p32p.aspx ***<br /><br />***(in the comments about this page at the bottom). http://www.laindonhistory.org.uk/page_id__155_path__0p19p.aspx ***<br /><br />***(second from last paragraph). Will comment again if i find any other information for you. Emma

Do you remember? : Where was the billiard hall? by John Bathurst added 10/05/2011 In the October 1923 edition of “Laindon, Pitsea and Stanford-le Hope Advertiser” (cost 1d monthly) appears the following as part of a report on the meeting of Billericay Rural District Council (forerunner of the BUDC and today’s Basildon Borough Council):-. Under the heading: “Building Activity” appears: “The Sanitary Surveyor” (Mr H B Mayhew) reported that since its last report plans had been submitted for 90 buildings, including 82 dwelling houses. The others included a billiard hall.***<br /><br />***The Clerk: Where is the billiard hall?***<br /><br />***The Surveyor: At Laindon (loud laughter)”. Has anybody any suggestion as to where or even if “Laindon’s Billiard Hall” that occasioned so much laughter in 1923 was ever built and where it might have been located?. The reason I ask this question is that it was in the 20s I think that Walter Sorrell who lived at “The Homestead”, Northumberland Avenue, built his bungalow which, he always claimed, was done by erecting the full-sized billiard table it contained first and then building the house around it! He was a bit of a joker, so perhaps he was just having us on.

Do you remember? : Mr Parkinson, bicycle mechanic by Fraser Russell added 26/05/2011 Can anyone tell me more about Mr. Parkinson? In the late 1990s he used to repair our bicycles in his shop at the corner of Durham Road and the High Road – now Parkinson’s Corner.
Do you remember? : Re: Mr Parkinson, bicycle mechanic by Ian Mott added 08/06/2011 There is now an article Cliff Parkinson. (see Discover our Community, Noteworthy People)
Do you remember? : Re: Mr Parkinson, bicycle mechanic by Gloria Sewell added 29/05/2011 Hello Fraser the Parkinson family have had a workshop in Laindon as long as I can remember, it was on the cornor of Somerset Rd this was opposite which is now Laindon Link, I think thats still there. My uncle Ken did his apprenticeship there they moved to Durham Rd when the council bought them out what happened to him when he retired i’m sorry I don’t know.
Do you remember? : Re: Mr Parkinson, bicycle mechanic by Ian Mott added 27/05/2011 The Parkinson family played a significant part in the history of Laindon and there are a number of references to the family on the site. There is an article titled Parkinson Brothers Motor Engineers (Discover our Community – see how others see our Community through their Memories, Laindon – Community) and their snippets in the the old photographs of Laindon. We are trying to produce an article on the individual members of the family, but the remaining members are unhappy at the moment and unwilling to sanction us to proceed.. There must however eventually be a detailed article as the history of Laindon would not be complete without one
Do you remember? : Re: Mr Parkinson, bicycle mechanic by William Diment added 26/09/2011 While Cliff Parkinson has been well documented nothing appears in respect of Bill of the garage near the Fortune on War. Bill was m/cycle enthusiast and connected to the grass track racing which took place opposite the Summerhill garage on Sundays. Bill did not ride but loaned cycles to ‘his’ riders one of whom was a Bert Flashman and also his son who died after being shot down over Germany. Perhaps this is the reason for not seeking publicity. Bill’s penchant was the performance of m/cycles and his favourite was a twin horizontally opposed Douglas which had no clutch or chain and was propelled by means of a leather belt. It had no automatic engine lubrication which supplied by a manual pump on top of the underslung petrol tankand which had to be operated manually. Despite this if one arose early on a Sunday morning, this machine could be seen scorching up and down the Arterial road once again with Bert Flasman as rider. It was suggested that it could attain a speed of 80mph although I do not know how this was estimated as it had no speedometer, but no one questioned the veracity of this.

Do you remember? : POW Camp at Langdon Hills and Army Camp by Ken Porter added 27/06/2011 Is there is anybody out there who has any memories, information on the POW Camp that was on the corner of Dry Street and Crown Hill. Also any knowledge on the Army camp at the bottom of Old Church Hill.
Do you remember? : Re: POW Camp at Langdon Hills and Army Camp by Gloria Sewell added 09/07/2011 Hello Ken I don’t remember to much about the POW camp except that the prisoners made toys for the local children. I do have quite strong memories of the army camp, most of the lads there were on national service so they were all quite young. The ones I recall were nice lads they used to have dances up the camp and they picked us girls up in army lorries to go to the dances. There was a lad there I can’t think of his name but his nickname was “rubber legs” because he could rock and roll so well, he and I used to win the jive contests up there. We would win chocs for me and cigarettes for him we always swapped because he didn’t smoke and I did. Most of the boys were known as Scouse, Jock, Paddy, Jordie depending where they came from. One dance came to a sharp halt and we were all ushered out onto the lorries and driven up Old Church Hill with the lights off, quite scarry for a 16yr old, we later found out it was an IRA scare. Some of the lads used to drive through the village in little jeeps called champs they were not allowed to give us lifts but they often did. I remember one lad I was friendly with his name was Geordie Appleby he had a motorbike, on his way back from leave to Laindon he was killed. I don’t know why I can,t recall why but he was not taken back home to be buried he was laid to rest in the tiny church next to the camp, Old St Marys, it is now a private dwelling. His headstone read best I can recall “In memory of corporal Ken Appleby Royal signals”. I wonder if it is still there, I last saw it in 1962.
Do you remember? : Re: POW Camp at Langdon Hills and Army Camp by Jemima Chapman added 13/04/2012 I remember the POWs working on the farms, with the land girls and farm workers.
Do you remember? : Re: POW Camp at Langdon Hills and Army Camp by Don Joy ( Smith ) added 13/08/2015 Was told years ago that my grandfather William ( Bill ) Turner, Laindon’s coal merchant had been a warden at the p.o.w camp.

Notepad++ edit saved to here as Notepad04. CHECK ACCEPTABILITY OF CONVERSION BY UPLOADING TO THE LAINDON TEST PAGE, and add a few more posts from under to assess grouping effect.
A problem noticed is the out-of-order thread entries, not always obvious (may correct manually if time allows).

Do you remember? : Harry Lowes cafe by Keith Nock added 19/07/2011 I wonder if anyone remembers Harry Lowes cafe it was between the Fortune of War and Pound Lane, my mum worked there. I remember passing it when I went to the High Rd school.
Do you remember? : Re: Harry Lowes cafe by Albert Merrison added 07/08/2011 I remember Harry Lowes Cafe from when I worked at S.X. Tools in Pound Lane, my fondest memories was going to have steak and kidney pudding during my lunch break. Does anyone remember S.X. Tools in Pound Lane, I did my apprenticeship there and stayed for 20 years until its closure in 1975. Albert (Bert) Merrison
Do you remember? : Re: Harry Lowes cafe by Keith Nock added 08/08/2011 hi bert yes i remember s.x tool what a lovely road pound lane was do you remember ted underdown he lived in bungalow in pound lane didnt they turn s.x.tool into a medical supply factory for awhile before they pulled it down
Do you remember? : Re: Harry Lowes cafe by Andrea Ash (Nee Pinnell) added 11/08/2011 My husband Chris remembers Harry Lowe’s Cafe – Peter Cackett used to work there; I think Rita Tuttle used to work there too. It was a long American diner-type building. He frequented it in 1956/57. It had a juke box, place not over popular, probably because it was out of the way. Think Harry Lowe sold it and went to Spain. Also think Harry was an ex boxer.
Do you remember? : Re: Harry Lowes cafe by John Bathurst added 26/08/2011 Harry Lowe’s Café was on the Southend bound side of the A127 (Southend Arterial Road) approximately 200 yards east of the (New) “Fortune of Warâ€. Those who have access to the old Basildon Street Map published by Barnetts of Barking after the New Town was announced can see a photograph of the café much as it is described by Andrea Ash because Harry used to advertise by this particular medium. As his original intention had been to catch the passing trade, in the pre WW2 days when a run out to Southend was popular with cycle clubs (most of whom disdained using the expensively-constructed cycle track alongside the carriageways) he was also listed in the CTC (Cyclist’ss Touring Club) and displayed the club’ss sign prominently on the building’ss façade. This meant that at weekends and bank holidays there were often large numbers of bikes parked against the café’ss walls.. At the time of the 1945 General Election, Harry ( a staunch Labour Party supporter) allowed the use of his café as the local (Laindon and District) office of Charlie Letherland (1898- 1992) who was acting as agent for Captain (later Lord) Ray Gunter !1909-1977) standing as Labour Party candidate for Parliament. It was in this office that, in those pre-computer days, that volunteers spent hours laboriously addressing envelopes in order that every voter in the large South East Essex constituency received Ray’ss election literature through the post.
Do you remember? : Modley’s tea shop by Keith Nock added 26/07/2011 Hi I wonder if anyone can remember Mrs Modleys tea shop, it was on A127 between Church Road and Pound Lane on London bound carriageway. Mrs Modley used to have tables and brolleys outside selling teas and ice creams, near by was postoffice and Davis the builders merchant also Coles body builders.
Do you remember? : Re: Modley’s tea shop by Gloria Sewell added 28/07/2011 Hello Keith I think I remember this little tea shop I had a friend living in Royston Ave. i’m sure we used to go there, was there also a butchers along there somewhere. I can also recall an old gipsy lady living behind it in a proper old round colourfull gipsy caravan which was burnt when she died proberly in the 50s.
Do you remember? : Re: Modley’s tea shop by Keith Nock added 29/07/2011 Hi Gloria. Yes there was a butchers also a newspaper shop near pound lane. I remember gypsy lady and her son living on land which went up to church. I lived in bungalow on the A127 between Church Rd and the flyover, until we moved to Royston Ave. Are you related to Ken Davis of Kens Autos, I remember Ken and his son Keith. Keith was my best man at my wedding, how Laindon has changed, we had so much fun in those days
Do you remember? : Re: Modley’s tea shop by Gloria Sewell added 31/07/2011 Hello Kieth; yes I am indeed. Ken was my uncle he opened his workshop at the back of the old Fortune of War when he left Parkinson’s. We lost Ken to Cancer a few years ago, after he moved up here to suffolk. I took care of him at the last to help poor Norma out. Keith still lives in the area but Sandra has moved this way and I still keep in touch with his son Geff and wife Jean. Ken had a small market garden here in Suffolk before he died.. The butchers in pound lane used to deliver my mums meat to use every Tuesday when we lived in King Edward Rd. and the dog always chased him, it didn’t like his white coat reminded him of the vet.
Do you remember? : Ted’s Cafe by By Robin Lockhart added 04/08/2011 Does anybody remember Ted’s cafe, well known for its ‘frothy coffee’  It used to be at one time the hang out for the Spooks Scooter Club. It was the 1st property you came to on the Southend bound carriageway before the New Fortune of War.        ***<br /><br />***Does anybody have any photos?
Do you remember? : Re: Ted’s Cafe by Gloria Sewell added 18/08/2011 Wow! yes Robin another memory, I don’t recall to much about it as I was a Motor Bike girl in the 50s 60s, but yes now you have said it I think it had quite a large car park didn’t it and was also used for lorries. It would be nice to hear a few of your scooter day memories even though I was a “Rocker” of course. When I was a teenager there was no mods and rockers thanks for the memory. Gloria
Do you remember? : Re: Clarks Bicycle Shop by Gloria Sewell added 18/08/2011 I think I am talking about the same Clark’s they used to sell clothing and wool as well I recall buying a pair of gloves for my son Tony appox. 1965 and they still had the wartime utility mark, old stock I presume. If it is of interest to anyone the Clarks relocated when thier shop was taken over by Basildon to Reedham, a little village on the Norfolk Broads with its own little ferry. Gloria